


A Lucky Malfunction

by TheBadChemist



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-09 19:38:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12895257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBadChemist/pseuds/TheBadChemist
Summary: This was not how Matt had envisioned his evening going. At all. Not that he was complaining. This was much better than going back and spending the rest of the evening third-wheeling.





	A Lucky Malfunction

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sure this is full of mistakes and errors, because this isn't beta-read and I decided to post it in the middle of the night, only going through quickly to fix the worst offenders. Anyway, please do tell if you see any glaring grammar or spelling mistakes, but other than that I hope you enjoy.

 

It was getting pretty dark, but yellow light illuminated the main slopes just fine. It was bewitching to watch the ski-centre so abandoned, only a handful people still in the slopes. Thick, heavy snowflakes fell from the starry sky above at a leisurely pace. Watching it all from above — from the chairlift — made it seem like the inside of a beautifully intricate snow globe. 

It was just before closing, the lift attendant at the bottom reminding him that the lift was closing down for the night after this. This was the absolute last chance to take the lift up tonight and Matt was glad he’d made it for one last trip. 

As his intended lift neared, someone with a dark colour jacket (the darkness made it hard to discern which colour it actually was) came down the slope at an impossible speed, sending snow flying behind him as he elegantly slowed to a halt just behind them, clearly trying to make it in time for one last trip.

«Last chance to get on the lift, buddy,» the attendant told the newcomer.

That was how the two of them ended alone on an eight seat chair-lift together, the two middle seats empty between them as they travelled up the mountain. The sat in silence; the sound of the lift and the fabric of their jackets rubbing against itself the only noise.

Had this been earlier in the day Matt might have felt awkward sitting in silence like this, but not now in the late hours when the snowy mountain seemed more enchanting than ever: It was pleasant. No one who didn't love skiing or snowboarding headed up the mountain this late, and Matthew felt comfortable in the company of a fellow winter sport enthusiast.

Affording himself a quick glance at the man, he found few distinguishable features besides his clothes and gear. Not unlike Matt himself, the man was covered in warm-looking clothes from top to toe. A few tufts of blond hair was visible from under a beanie in a dark colour and the tip of his nose was exposed to the biting cold air. All his other features was obscured by a ski mask and a black neck-warmer. It was pulled up to cover the lower part of his face, obscuring just about half the man’s face. He too was a snowboarder, which pleased Matt way more than it should have.

From his elevated spot in the chair lift, Matt followed someone with a green jacket with his eyes. They made their way down one of the more tricky parts of the slope. It looked as though they were about to hit a patch of ice (which Matt knew from recent experience was there), but he was distracted when he felt the lift jerk to a stop. It was sudden, sending them swinging back and forth in the cold evening air.

It was only after they had been still for several minutes that Matt began to grow weary. He knew there was an attendant at the top end of the lift too — he’d heard the one at the bottom telling them (over a walkie-talkie) that she was sending the last people up as they headed off — so it was unlikely they had forgotten they were on. More likely, it was a technical issue.

The man seemed to sense that something was off too as he glanced around, taking the ski mask off to see better in the steadily thickening darkness. 

«Technical problems?» he asked, voice deep and a bit hoarse. 

«Probably,» Matt agreed, repositioning in his seat so he could look behind them. «Think it will take long?»

«Depends, but these things usually don't take too long in my experience,» he said, turning to face him as he spoke. Matt nodded in agreement, taking off his own ski mask for a little while. It was refreshing to feel the cool air against his skin again.

The stranger had pulled up his neck-warmer slightly so it now covered the tip of his nose as well, but at least Matt could see his eyes now. They were a dark blue, or at least Matt thought so. It was hard to tell in the dark. He could also see the red marks around the man’s eyes from the ski mask, which didn't look half as bad on him as it did on most people. Some people were lucky like that, always looking like they walked out of a goddamned photoshoot. Others, like Matt, wasn't so lucky.

They sat in silence until the continued stillness of the lift lasted too long for this to be one if the usual hiccups in the system. _Great..._

«It's been, what, 15 minutes now? Looks like we're stuck here for a while,» Matt said, smiling in spite of their poor luck. At least he was stuck with a handsome snowboarder by his side.

«Yeah, if someone comes with a snow-scooter and a megaphone, we know we're screwed,» the stranger said, eyes crinkling at the corners as he studied Matt. «I'm Erik, by the way.»

«Matthew,» Matt said, accepting Erik's gloved hand and shaking it briefly. 

Then, only seconds after — as if they’d waited for Erik’s signal — the sound of a snow scooter filled the air, and soon it stopped below them, the person on pulling out a megaphone.

* * *

«You got anyone waiting for you?» Erik asked. They had been stuck up there for over 30 minutes now and Matt was beginning to grow cold from sitting still for so long. He shoved his still gloved hands into his pockets.

«Nah, Alfred, my brother, probably won't notice unless I get stuck here until tomorrow morning,» he said, adding: «He's with his boyfriend at the cabin we've rented. That is, if they haven't gone out for dinner by now.» 

Erik frowned, but said nothing. Oh god, was Erik a homophobe? Please don't say he was stuck in a chair lift with a homophobe. That would make this entire situation much, much worse. Especially since Erik looked very handsome under the ski mask and neck-warmer. Honestly, when Erik had lowered the neck-warmer, he’d proven that yes, he was definitely one of those effortlessly attractive guys Matt could only dream of having.

Matt cleared his throat — feeling a bit awkward because of where his mind had just wandered off to — and said:

«What about you? Anyone anxiously waiting for your return?» Erik studied him for a moment, expression neutral before he looked down at his hand and the landscape below.

«I'm sure they've got other things to worry themselves with,» he said, pursing his lips a little before leaning back in his seat. It looked as if he was going to say more about the matter, but decided against it at the last minute. Instead, he turned back to face Matt; a small, lopsided smile on his lips. 

«So you rented a cabin with your brother and his boyfriend? Only the three of you?» he asked, one eyebrow raised. Matt nodded, not quite able to tell where Erik was going with this. 

«Do you like third wheeling, or didn't you realise until it was too late?» Erik said and his smile grew slightly bigger as realisation dawned on Matt. He rolled his eyes, chuckling just a bit.

«Oh yes, I just looove me some third-wheeling,» Matt said sarcastically, smiling despite the cold that was slowly but surely creeping up on him du to lack of movement.

«Knew it,» Erik said, his own smirk growing slightly. «But seriously, you didn't even think to invite a friend or something?»

«I did actually,» Matt said, shrugging, «but she couldn't make it, so I figured it would be fine with just the three of us. Which it is, don't get me wrong, but it's very awkward when they forget I’m in the room with them.» Erik chuckled: A low, but warm and comforting sound to contrast their surroundings.

«At least you haven't slept with your brother's boyfriend,» Erik said with a slight shrug, still smiling every so slightly. 

«Excuse me?» Matt said, horrified at the mere thought. «I would never-» 

Erik's face split into a grin and he burst out laughing. Matt felt even more dumbfounded and no less horrified as Erik gasped for breath in between puffs of laughter.

«I'm sorry,» Erik said once he had taken a few deep, calming breaths. «I didn't mean to imply that you had. I was talking about me.» Even though it did make Matt feel relived, he also became a little worried.

«You slept with your brothers boyfriend?» Matt asked. Well, at least Erik wasn't a homophobe… Cheater, sure, but not a homophobe. 

«Not exactly. Björn, one of my oldest and best friends, met his husband, Tino, as Tino tried to sneak out of my room after a one night stand.» He shrugged. «With me, if that wasn't clear.»

«No way,» Matt said, eyes wide and lips hesitant to stretch into a smile. Erik smiled.

«Yes way. So you can think about that if you ever need to feel better about your life,» he said, and Matt let himself laugh along.

«I will. Thanks,»Matt said, smiling as he met Erik’s eyes. A shiver ran down his spine, both from the creeping cold and something else entirely. They sat like that, smiling, both leaning more toward the middle of the chair lift; leaning closer to each other. Matt, in a moment of bravery or idiocy, let his eyes wander down to Erik’s lips, considering what it might feel like to-

A jerk forward had them both jumping back from each other, the sudden movement catching them by surprise. Matt could feel his cheeks burning as the lift finally started moving once again. At least the blush could be easily excused by the cold. He glanced over at Erik see that yes, his cheeks were red too. Now, that could very well be the same red tint that had been there since he removed the neck-warmer, caused by the cold and not at all by blushing. Pros and cons, Matt supposed.

Erik looked over at him again, their eyes meeting fleetingly before he quickly looked back at the landscape. He seemed a bit distant. 

«Do you want to come back to the cabin with me?» Matt asked, not realising just what he was doing until the last word had passed his lips. «It’s less than 10 minutes form here and I think we both cold use some time to thaw.»

«Sure,» Erik said, smiling once again. «We can’t have you third wheeling for at least a few more hours, I suppose.» Matt lightly hit his arm, the smile he was sporting clearly ruining the effect as Erik’s smile only grew wider and more smug.

* * *

It was still fairly warm inside the cabin when they got there, but it didn’t take long to realise that Alfred and Kiku was somewhere else. Matt didn’t mind that.

«Do you know how to get a fire started in the fireplace?» Matt asked as they undressed, leaving a rather big pile of clothes and gear in the hallway. 

«‘Course, who do you take me for?» Erik said, smirking slightly.

«Then you won’t mind starting one while I go make hot chocolate in the kitchen?» Matt asked, throwing a discreet look at Erik’s body now that he was only dressed in a layer of thin, woollen clothes. Broad shoulders, long legs, nice ass and leanly muscled: Effortlessly attractive, as with just about everything else about the guy. Matt was practically drooling.

«Not at all, where do you keep the firewood?» Erik said, taking off his beanie.  Matt couldn’t help the snort that escaped him. Blond hair stood in every direction, making Erik — with his cheekbones and muscles and plump, pale pink lips — look far less majestic than he had moments earlier. Erik just rolled his eyes, a smile hidden in the crinkles around them. 

«It’s in the box beside the fireplace, which is in the living room,» Matt said, polishing his glasses with part of his jumper. 

Matt felt confident that Erik wouldn’t burn the place down, so as soon as Erik was pointed in the right direction, Matt slipped into the kitchen. It didn’t take long to make two mugs of deliciously warm cups of hot chocolate. When he entered the living room, Erik was warming himself by the fireplace, hands outstretched toward the flames. 

«Here you go,» Matt said, handing one mug to Erik as he stood beside him. It was nice; the feeling of the heat from the fire slowly thawing his limbs. Erik looked down at the brown liquid in his cup, frowning.

«Is this hot chocolate?» he asked, looking Matt straight in the eye as he did. 

«Yes?» Matt said, confusion probably written all over his face.

«I’m allergic,» Erik said, «Sorry, I can’t drink this. I thought you said something else earlier.» 

«What?» Matt said, mind racing for a solution. «I’m sure we have tea or coffee somewhere, just let me go check-» Matt began turning around, but was stopped when a hand landed on his shoulder.

«I’m joking, Matthew,» Erik said and when Matt turned back to him, Erik was smiling warmly. Matt let out a relived breath.

«God, you nearly gave me a heart attack,» Matt said, taking a sip of his drink. «And you can call me Matt.»

«That would be a shame,» Erik said, taking a sip. «It's not everyday you meet someone who’s handsome, kind and presumably single.» Matt nearly chocked on his drink, but managed — just barely — to keep cool. 

«I could say the same thing about you,» he replied (smoothly, he'd like to think). 

Cautiously, he used his free hand to lightly grasp Erik’s free hand, giving him an easy way out it if he wanted. Instead of pulling his hand back however, Erik clasped their hands closer together. A sideways glance revealed that Erik was in-fact blushing and Matt felt a warm in a way that had nothing to do with the hot chocolate or the fire.

**Author's Note:**

> I do have more written for this AU and there are so many unexplored details hidden under the surface in this part, but it's not finished and I'm not sure I ever will finish it (unfortunetly). I do feel like this can stand pretty well on it's own though, so maybe that's not so bad? Anyhow, maybe I'll try to write more for this when I get the time and/or motivation, but this may remain a one-shot forever.
> 
> If you have any questions, (constructive) critique or flattery, please do share (especially if it's the last one, it may provide some of that motivation I mentioned earlier).


End file.
